Wildfire — Okanogan Valley, Washington

2021-09-01 to 2021-09-17 · Okanogan Valley, Washington

Event narrative

The Chickadee Creek Fire was ignited by an unknown source on August 4th and jointly managed with Walker Fire. Fire fighting crews faced many set backs such as red flag conditions, spot fires, and inclement weather preventing infrared aircraft flights. The fire burned a total of 5,855 acres of timber before fully contained on September 17th. There are no known injuries or structures lost. The cost of the firefighting resources required to contain the fire was calculated at $5,800,000.

Wider weather episode

The active 2021 wildfire season continued with nine destructive fires burning almost 100,000 acres, contained by the end of September. They were fueled by many days with windy conditions and low relative humidity. Cooler temperatures, with more moisture and wetting rains, helped with containment.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 986435. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.